UK: Surveillance
statistics: 1937-2014(Compiled by Tony
Bunyan since 1977) updated 31 December 2013This Statewatch Observatory
covers: Official reports (now the Interception of Communications
Commissioner) on telephone-tapping 1937-2012 and the reports from
the Chief Surveillance Commissioner which covers covert surveillance
by law enforcement agencies (LEAs) from 2003 onwards
The reports show the figures for the UK (1937-2012) England &
Wales (from 1937-2010) and Scotland (from 1967-2010) and from
2011

Commentaries:

See:2011 report: Commissioner's
annual reports: Interception of Communications and Surveillance:
More information or a lot less?
- Interception
Commissioner claims giving more information would aid criminals
- Surveillance
Commissioner complains again about the lack of resources to do
the job properlyDuring the Second World
War the highest yearly total for warrants (for phone tapping and
mail-opening) issued was 1,682. This figure, despite the Cold
War and bombings by the Provisional IRA, was not surpassed until
1998 (1,763). Since 1997 the number of annual warrants (and modifications)
issued has risen from 1,712 to 18,612 (2012).The
charts below gives the figures for the number of warrants issued
for telephone tapping and mail-opening issued for the period 1937-2012
in England and Wales; the warrants issued by the Secretary of
State for Scotland between 1967-2010 (and the number issued by
the Foreign Secretary between 1980-1984).

The Interception Commissioner's
report also covers access to "communications data" which
refers to data concerning a phone-call, e-mail, fax, mobile phone-call
(and location) and internet usage (which also reveals the "content"
of the "communication"). Not to be confused surveillance
warrants coming under the Chief
Surveillance Commissioner reports 2004-2013 which covers
covert information sources

The Interception Commissioner
lists the number of requests for access to communications data
(ie: traffic data) under RIPA Part I Chapter II from service providers.
Much public attention, quite rightly, has focussed on the use
by local authorities to obtain communications data however, the
bulk of the requests are made by the police, Special Branch and
MI5. It does not cover, or give figures for, the Foreign Office
(MI6 and GCHQ) nor for Northern Ireland. In his 2007 report the
Commissioner records: "I am pleased to say that more and
more police forces are introducing automatic systems for
the management of communications data requests" (emphasis
added) and in the 2009 report that: "Of all the intelligence
agencies the Security Service is the largest user of communications
data and it has a fully automated system to manage its
requirements." (emphasis added)

Requests for access to communications
data from "communications service providers and internet
service providers" have been put on record:

- 1 January 2005 - 31 March 2006:
439,054 giving an adjusted annual figure of : 351,243
- 1 April - 31 December 2006: 253,557, giving an adjusted annual
figure of: 338,076
- The year 2007: 519,260
- The year 2008: 504,073
- The year 2009: 525,130
- The year 2010: 552,550
- The year 2011: 494,078
- The year 2012: 570,135

No figures are given for subsequent
requests for access to the "content" of communications,
nor charges or convictions that result.

1. The 2005-31 March 2006 total
figures for telephone-tapping were 2,407 (England, Wales and Scotland)
and the number of "modifications" was 5,143. The fifteen
months figures make annual comparisons difficult as quarterly
figures have never been published. An extrapolation based on four
quarters suggests that the total number of warrants and "modifications"
during 2005 was 5,723 (up from 5,340 in 2004) and the highest
figure ever.

2. The recording of figures changed
in 1998 with the figures for "modifications" (change
of telephone number, adding addresses etc) being presented separately
(previously every change needed a new warrant to be issued). The
combining of warrants issued with "modifications" is
the only way to present historically comparable figures. The comparable
figures for 2004 show that initial interception warrants were
1,973 plus 3,367 "modifications" making a total of 5,340
a rise of 9%.

3. As in previous years these
figures only cover warrants issued by the Home Secretary and the
First Minister in Scotland. They do not include warrants issued
by the Foreign Office to GCHQ and MI6 nor those issued by the
Northern Ireland Secretary of State.

For an explanation of how "modifications"
affect the overall figures and of other changes, eg: warrants
are now also issued for longer periods which means that fewer
rather than more warrants should be issued: see Statewatch
analysis: How changes in procedure disguise true surveillance
figuresSome general observations on the history
of interception can be made on the figures for England and Wales.

1) 1955 was the first year that
the number of warrants issued for telephone-tapping was greater
than those for mail-opening;

2) The record number of warrants
issued in 1940 a total of 1,682 was exceeded for the first time
in 1997 with 1,712 warrants being issued.

3) The high number of warrants
between 1939-1941 is clearly attributable to the beginning of
the Second World War; the rise in 1948 to the beginning of the
Cold War and strikes, the post-war low point of 238 total warrants
was in 1958 with the rise between 1971-1975 being due to industrial
action combined with Cold War paranoia.

4) The total number of warrants
was pretty steady in the 400's from 1976 until 1991.

5) A major change was introduced
in 1998 and further changes in the recording methods with the
introduction of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000
(RIPA) on 2 October 2000. A major change in July 1998 stripped
out the number of warrants which are "modified" (ie:
a new address or phone number is needed) which previously required
a new warrant to be issued. Thus in order to present historically
comparative figures the number of "modifications" needs
to be added to the number of initial warrants issued. The new
charts below bring together the total figures for England, Wales
and Scotland to reflect these changes. No figures have ever been
issued for Northern Ireland.

2,911 warrants issued in the year,
excluding those already in place at year end which are estimated
to be 1,135 = 4,046 (**)

No figure provided. Estimated
to be 8,092 (**)

12,138 (**)

2012

3,372 warrants issued in the
year, excluding those already in place at year end which are
estimated to be 1,281 = 4,653 (**)

No figure provided, estimated to
be: 13,959 (***)

18,612

Note [*]: Adjusted for three/four quarters, average
Note [**] Only a single global figure is provided for the whole
UK of warrants issued in the year.
Note [***] Historical figures show that "Modifications"
are, on average three times the number of warrants issued.
This now includes warrants issued by the Foreign Secretary and
the Northern Ireland Secretary.

Table 2: England & Wales

Telephone tapping warrants

Mail opening warrants. Modifications
after 2001

Total

1937

17

556

573

1938

20

710

730

1939

29

973

1,002

1940

125

1,557

1,682

1941

180

862

1,042

1942

164

514

678

1943

126

329

455

1944

102

213

315

1945

56

90

146

1946

73

139

212

1947

110

190

300

1948

103

870

973

1949

133

641

774

1950

179

356

535

1951

177

486

663

1952

173

462

635

1953

202

459

661

1954

222

227

449

1955

241

205

446

1956

159

183

342

1957

n/a

n/a

n/a

1958

129

109

238

1959

159

101

260

1960

195

110

305

1961

183

75

258

1962

242

96

338

1963

270

128

398

1964

253

120

373

1965

299

93

392 [1]

1966

318

139

457

1967

307

92

399

1968

333

83

416

1969

377

93

470

1970

395

104

499

1971

418

86

504

1972

413

95

508

1973

424

73

497

1974

436

93

529

1975

468

93

561

1976

410

62

472

1977

407

84

491

1978

428

44

472

1979

411

52

463

1980

414

39

453 [2]

1981

402

46

448

1982

379

54

433

1983

372

53

415

1984

352

39

391

1985

403

40

443

1986

573

95

668 [3]

1987

438

34

472

1988

412

48

460

1989

427

31

458

1990

473

42

515

1991

670

62

732

1992

756

118

874

1993

893

105

998

1994

871

76

947

1995

910

87

997

1996

1,073

69

1,142

1997

1.391

65

1,456

1998

1,646

117

1,763

1999

1,645

89

1,734

2000

1,559

49

1,608

2001

1,314 [4]

-

1,314

2002

1,466

-

1,466

2003

1,878

2,525

4,403

2004

1,849

3,101

4,950

Adjusted annual figure (2005
- 31 March 2006)

1,794 (2,243)[5]

3,799 (4,746)[5]

5,591 (6,989)[5]

Adjusted annual figure (1 Apr-31
Dec 06)

1,777 (1,333)[6]

4,652 (3,489)[6]

6,429 (4,822)[6]

2007

1,881

5,577

7,458

2008

1,508

5,344

6,852

2009

1,514

5,267

6,781

2010

1,682

5,761

7,464

2011

NO LONGER PUBLISHED

[1] This figure is wrongly given as 382 in Cmnd. 7873

[2] Cmnd 9438 states in the figures between 1980-1984 excludes
warrants issued under the 1920 Official Secrets Act.

[3] The Report of the Commissioner for 1998 states in para.6
that the high figure for this year "is explained by the need
to replace all the outstanding non-statutory warrants when the
new Act came into force".

[4] From 2001 no separate figures for mail-opening warrants
are to be issued.

[5] The five-quarter figures have been annualised.

[6] The three-quarter figures have been annualised.

Table 3: Scotland

Telephone tapping warrants

Mail-opening warrants then
"modifications" from 2001

Total warrants issued for
year

1967

3

-

3

1968

10

-

10

1969

8

-

8

1970

14

-

14

1971

10

2

12

1972

15

-

15

1973

20

-

20

1974

33

5

38

1975

41

-

41

1976

41

-

41

1977

52

3

55

1978

42

-

42

1979

56

-

56

1980

50

-

50

1981

49

-

49

1982

79

2

81

1983

53

1

54

1984

71

4

75

1985

59

9

68

1986

84

4

88 [1]

1987

54

3

57

1988

54

5

59

1989

63

1

64

1990

66

2

66

1991

81

1

82

1992

87

5

92

1993

112

10

122

1994

90

10

100

1995

137

1

138

1996

228

0

228

1997

256

0

256

1998

267

1

268

1999

288

-

288

2000

292

-

292

2001

131

194 ["Modifications" for
following years, Note: 3]

325

2002

139

258

397

2003

105

319

424

2004

124

266

390

Adjusted annual figure (2005
- 31 March 2006)

131 (164)

318 (397)

449 (561)

Adjusted annual figure (1 Apr-31
Dec 06)

136 (102)

352 (294)

488 (396)

2007

145

367

512

2008

204

610

814

2009

192

629

821

2010

183

648

831

2011

NO LONGER PUBLISHED

[1] The Report of the Commissioner for 1998 states in para.6 that
the high figure for this year "is explained by the need to
replace all the outstanding non-statutory warrants when the new
Act came into force".

[2] It is noticeable that several of the rises in Scotland,
especially for warrants to open letters, occurs during years when
strikes played an important role, e.g. 1971, 1974, 1977, 1984
and 1985. It is also apparent that the overall figures for Scotland
rose significantly during the 1980s (over the 1970s).

[3] From 2001 no separate figures are given for mail-opening
warrants. But for the first time in 2001 there were an additional
194 "modifications". This the total for 2001 is 325,
not 131.

Foreign Secretary:Year [1][2]

Telephone tapping warrants

Mail-opening warrants

Total

1980

136

-

136

1981

101

-

101

1982

92

-

92

1983

109

-

109

1984

115

-

115

[1] Figures for warrants issued by the Foreign Secretary have
not been issued since 1984.

[2] The Report of the Commissioner for 1990 it states that
it would be against the public interest to publish the number
of warrants issued by the Foreign Secretary and the Secretary
of State for Northern Ireland.

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